Vigor of Twelve is a play off of the fact that Jesus had twelve disciples. It is a name that helps stress an importance on discipleship. This blog is specifically geared for younger people and mature Christians who don't mind a fresh, bold, and blunt approach to faith. Comments welcome, let's begin the discussion!

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Friday, October 14, 2016

Revelation 2:18-29

Revelation 2:18-29

And write to the messenger of the assembly
in Thyatira. The son of God – the one
who has his eyes as a flame of fire and his feet similar to fine bronze – says
these things. I have known your works,
love, faith, service, your enduring patience, and your many last works of the
most important things. But I have
against you that you send away the woman Jezebel – the one who says she is a
prophetess and leads my slaves away to commit fornication and to eat offerings
sacrificed to idols. And I gave a time
to her in order that she should repent, and she does not desire to repent out
of her fornication. Look! I throw her – and the ones who commit
adultery with her – into a bed, into a great pressure if they should not repent
out of her works. And I will kill her
children in death and all the assemblies will know that I am the one who
searches the seats of thought and the hearts.
And I will give to you each according to your work. And I say to you – the ones remaining in
Thyatira – as many who have not taken this teaching whoever did not know
Satan’s depth as they say – I do not throw upon you another burden. But be strong enough to hold on firmly to
what you have until I should come. And
the one who conquers and the one who keeps my works until the end, I will give
to him authority upon the nations and he will shepherd them with a scepter made
of iron as the earthen vessels are being broken into pieces. And as I have received from my father I will
also give to him the morning star. The
one who has an ear: hear what the spirit says to the assemblies.

Thoughts
for Today

First Thought:

Jesus’ identity in this passage is that of having blazing
eyes and feet of burnished bronze. Remember
that fire is a symbol of purification.
Jesus wants the people in Thyatira to understand that He is capable of
purifying them. He is capable of taking
their weaknesses, they failings, and their temptations and purify them
out. As for the feet of bronze, remember
that bronze is copper that has been mixed with alloys to be stronger and resist
rust. In other words, those who are
unwilling to be purified will be able to look forward to encountering Jesus’
strength instead. The people of Thyatira
– and I daresay the entire human population – have a simple choice. They can meet Jesus’ loving purification or
they can meet his stern judgment. That
is the identity that we meet today.

Do you find yourself identifying more with the blazing eyes
or the bronze feet today as you read this?
Why do you think that you find yourself drawn to the one that speaks to
you at this time in your life?

Second Thought:

Next, we turn to the list of things that Jesus desires to
uplift: works,
love, faith, service, your enduring patience.
While this seems like a short list because it doesn’t take up much
space, look at what the list encompasses.
Jesus upholds their works and their service; in other words, He lifts up
their response to God’s love. Jesus
upholds their love and faith, which is a way of saying that their being reflects
God’s love. Jesus upholds their patient
endurance, which is a way of saying that they are staying true to the faith in
the midst of persecution. When you think
about this list, the reality is that while the list may not take up much space
it is a pretty all-inclusive list. The
people of Thyatira have much going in their favor.

How are your
works and service doing? What about your
love and faith? Where are you patiently
enduring persecution in the world on account of your faith?

Third Thought:

As before, we now turn to the list of
complaints and challenge. Notice that
Jesus doesn’t really have much of a complaint against the church in
Thyatira. His complaint is against a
specific person in Thyatira who is presenting herself as a prophetess and
leading people astray in their faith.
The people of Thyatira aren’t doing anything wrong, it is someone in
their midst! This naturally brings us to
the challenge. While the people of
Thyatira aren’t currently doing anything wrong, the challenge is that they might
soon be guilty. If they allow this
disruptive woman to remain, they may all find themselves thrust into great
persecution. Thus, the challenge is to
get rid of the woman’s teaching. No
wonder Jesus’ identity in this section is focused on the idea of fire and
purification! The challenge is to keep
the faith until the end. The challenge
is to hold fast to the faith in spite of the temptation around them.

Where in your life are you
tempted? Where in your life can you hear
these words and be reminded to stay strong and loyal to the faith?